Patrick McLanahan
Patrick Shane McLanahan II is the fictional primary character in most of the books written by thriller author, Dale Brown. McLanahan is originally a B-52 Stratofortress radar navigator but in later books works on other aircraft such as the B-2 Spirit and B-1 Lancer. Similar to the Jack Ryan character by Tom Clancy, he is mentioned in every book (except Silver Tower, Chains of Command, and Act of War), and has an ongoing history starting with a deep interdiction mission into Russia. Detailed Biography Patrick McLanahan was an Irish-American born to a California police officer. McLanahan was the oldest of six children, mostly girls. McLanahan's father died when he was very young. McLanahan took over his father's place in the family while helping his mother run the family-owned pub "The Shamrock". McLanahan joined the United States Air Force in his twenties and discovered he had a natural talent as a radar navigator in a B-52. Soon he is referred to as the best radar navigator in the USAF. While McLanahan is based at Ford Air Force Base in California, he is sent on a mysterious trip to Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nevada, to work on a new bomber program. However, he soon finds that his destination is not Nellis, but the legendary top-secret military research base known as Dreamland in Nevada. The original EB-52 Megafortress is being used to test a new weapons system that will be eventually fitted to a B-1 strike force. The bombers will be utilized to destroy a new and dangerous Soviet laser system. During this assignment Dreamland falls under attack by KGB operatives. In the chaos created by the attack McLanahan and the crew of the Megafortress take off and are soon headed to the laser installation in Russia. McLanahan and the crew fight their way through Soviet air defenses until finally they are in range of the laser. With his radar system blacked out McLanahan takes a one in a million shot using a Striker TV-bomb. Against all odds McLanahan hits, destroying the laser. However the Megafortress, low on fuel must land in Anadyr, a PVO Strany airbase to refuel. With most of the crew injured McLanahan must take-off with no flying experience. He takes off bringing the crew to safety in Alaska, however; the mission is not without loss of life. McLanahan's long-time friend David Luger sacrificed himself to allow the crew to escape from Anadyr. This mission would be known as the Old Dog mission after the nickname for the Megafortress. McLanahan returns with Brad Elliot (the pilot) to the super-secret research facility known as HAWC ('H'igh-Technology 'A'erospace 'W'eapons 'C'entre) or Dreamland. After the Old Dog mission McLanahan worked with Elliot as "advisers" to other government projects. Most notable of these is the Border Security Force, a new branch of the US military to track down drug dealers entering the country. It is during this time that McLanahan and test pilot J.C. Powell fly a stolen Su-27 fighter to spy on Cuban drug dealers. Also this is the first time McLanahan works with the V-22 tilt-rotor aircraft, which will be used many times by HAWC commandos. McLanahan and Elliot then work closely with Sky Masters, a private aviation research company to upgrade the new B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. Halfway through the research the People's Republic of China attacks American units in the South Pacific. McLanahan flies the modified B-2 (known as the EB-2 Black Knight) and some of the newly upgraded EB-52 Megafortress bombers against the Chinese war machine, effectively stopping an attack. However, the action proves the EB-52 Megafortress to not be invincible, one of them being shot down by a Chinese Surface-to-Air Missile. McLanahan continues to work with Brad Elliot when he receives news that Luger, the radar navigator who sacrificed himself in the Old Dog mission, is still alive. Captured and brainwashed, he is in a research center known as Fisikous in Lithuania working on a prototype Russian stealth bomber, the Fisikous Fi-170. McLanahan, John Ormack (Old Dog co-pilot) and Hal Briggs (personal assistant to McLanahan) convince the U.S. Marines to plan a strike into the research center. In less than a month the team has been trained and ready to complete the mission. However when the team is poised to strike, chaos breaks loose. The former Soviet state of Belarus is attacking Lithuania while the Lithuanians are staging a revolt by attempting to destroy Fisikous, where Luger is kept. McLanahan and his team go on with the mission despite this but their V-22 is brought down by Russian anti-air fire over Fisikous. Surviving from the crash, McLanahan, Ormack and Briggs press on finally freeing Luger, stealing the Fisikous Fi-170 and escaping to Scotland. Two EB-52 Megafortresses supported them on the mission, one destroying two nuclear missiles launched at Lithuania and halting the advance. McLanahan continued to work at HAWC on many advanced combat aircraft. At the foremost of these designs is the XF-34 DreamStar. This aircraft is piloted by Kenneth James, one of the most talented test pilots ever. However, during a normal day, James steals the DreamStar, revealing himself as a Russian deep-cover agent. During his escape James destroys the original EB-52 Megafortress, killing John Ormack and Angelina Pereira and severely injuring Wendy Tork. McLanahan pilots the F-15F Cheetah, a modified F-15E against James. After a fierce dogfight, James surrenders DreamStar and is later killed by a KGB deep agent whilst he is detained at HAWC. McLanahan returns to HAWC which is being closed down by the government. He soon discovers that he is made a charter member of Future Flight, a White House backed agency that does the same as what HAWC did. He continues to live with his wife Wendy Tork. McLanahan worked at the Shamrock with his new wife. Soon, the government needed his help. The Iranian aircraft carrier Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini was terrorizing the Persian Gulf. The USAF had been forming an operation to knock out the aircraft carrier with an advanced version of the EB-2 Black Knight used against the People's Republic of China operation in the South Pacific. McLanahan trains hard and soon the mission is ready. McLanahan flies the EB-2 and knocks out the aircraft carrier using 'Disruptor'-series weaponry. The aircraft carrier is sent to China and Iran pulls some forces out of the Persian Gulf. McLanahan worked with Sky Masters again and developed the newest version of the EB-52 Megafortress equipped with the newest air-to-air missiles, cruise missiles, guided bombs, and various electronic countermeasures. These new EB-52's came just in time. Tensions heat up in the People's Republic of China when Taiwan declares that it is an independent country. The Chinese navy, equipped with the repaired Khomeini (now renamed Mao Zedong) launches a sea based nuclear missile during a small skirmish between Chinese and Taiwanese navy. The USAF is caught flat footed after sending many B-52 and B-1 bombers to the junkyard. McLanahan and the HAWC crew including Brad Elliot and Dave Luger quickly begin missions in the new EB-52's against China. During one of these missions McLanahan's crew launches a TV-guided bomb against a supposed destroyer that turned out to be a civilian cruise liner. Facing military charges McLanahan and his crew flying two EB-52 Megafortress and the Sky Masters DC-10 to Taiwan right before a nuclear attack against their base in Guam. As China prepares to invade Taiwan McLanahan's two EB-52 bombers fly to destroy the Chinese army and nuclear silo's. Just as McLanahan's EB-52 prepared to make a final run against the last nuclear silo a USN strike force begins attacking the invading navy. McLanahan's EB-52 falls under heavy fire and is critically damaged. Elliot makes every crew member eject and turns the EB-52 into a flying bomb and pilots it into the last silo. McLanahan receives full pardon from the USAF, and he and Wendy Tork have a son, Bradley James McLanahan. McLanahan continued to work with the USAF. After Brad Elliot was killed and all the EB-52 Megafortress destroyed McLanahan and General Terrill Samson began working on an upgraded B-1 Lancer variant, the EB-1C Megafortress-2. Turmoil erupted again in North Korea and South Korea when the two nations joined and formed United Korea. McLanahan recruited the Reno National Guard to work with him on the EB-1C witch became an aircraft more potent than the EB-52 and equipped with anti-ballistic missile ABM-3 plasma-yield missiles. The National Guard, now known as the Air Battle Force, flies to Korea and destroys former North Korean nuclear missiles. The EB-1C and the plasma-yield missiles were resounding success. McLanahan returns to the United States. When he returns he finds Doctor Jon Masters of Sky Masters working on an armor suit known as the BERP or Tin Man suit. Utilizing the latest military technology McLanahan teams up with Hal Briggs, Chris Wohl, and his brother Paul McLanahan to stop a terrorist plot in McLanahan's hometown. McLanahan soon returns to the skies of Europe. Many former Soviet Union states are raising tensions over mysterious air attacks. These attacks are by oil manager Pazel Kazakov using the Mt-177 Tynee stealth bomber, a variant of the Fisikous Fi-170 designed by Dr Pyotr Viktorievich Fursenko and colonel David Luger. During a botched spy extraction mission McLanahan orders his EB-1C Vampire II's to entire Russian airspace to save the extraction V-22. Facing a court martial when he returns to the USA McLanahan and his crew leave the US with the Sky Masters DC-10 to fight Kazakov personally. During a fierce dogfight and ground operation the Mt-177 is destroyed and Kazakov is captured vowing to destroy McLanahan by any means possible. However, the President of the United States would not let McLanahan back into the country so McLanahan and former president Kevin Martindale form the mercenary group "Night Stalkers" to destroy any threat to the free world. The Night Stalkers are soon assisting Egypt against an impending Libyan assault. McLanahan, his brother Paul McLanahan, Hal Briggs, and Chris Wohl launch a Tin Man attack against Libyan nuclear missiles. During this attack Paul McLanahan is killed in the explosion caused by the explosion of the missiles. However, the ship the Night Stalkers are based at falls under attack and McLanahan's wife, Wendy Tork McLanahan is captured. McLanahan soon plans an attack against the Libyan command center to rescue Wendy McLanahan. Aided by the new AL-52 airborne laser aircraft. He is too late as Kazakov's assistant murders Wendy McLanahan. Torn with grief he returns to the United States. Chris Wohl then goes to Iceland and murders Pavel Kazakov. McLanahan is soon given a command of his own. Based at Battle Mountain Air Reserve Base, the Air Battle Force is the cutting edge of military airforce technology. Soon they get their baptism of fire. Muslim fanatics are destroying the country of Turkmenistan. Aided by the Russian Federation, McLanahan and the ABF go to Turkmenistan to fight using aircraft such as the EB-1C, AL-52, and the new QB-1C, QB-52, and RAQ-15 StealthHawk UCAVs. During a tense battle, McLanahan's QB-1C Vampire III's attack and destroy the a Russian airbase, making personal enemies with the Russian Federation general Anatoliy Gryzlov and forcing the President of the United States to demote him to a desk job. Gryzlov soon plans the impossible, a nuclear strike against the United States. McLanahan sees the attack coming, but no superiors believe him. Within a week it happens. Flights of Tu-95 bombers begin the attack and severely cripple the United States military arsenal. McLanahan and the ABF are the only team available. In a daring strike, they destroy Gryzlov's bunker and stopping a potential war. McLanahan returns to the United States to retire from the military and help America rebuild. He does not retire, and subsequently becomes a special advisor to Kevin Martindale, who has been re-elected as the President of the United States. Under Martindale's administration, McLanahan and his command develop "netrusion", a device that allows him to intercept any signal or radar and manipulate it. This new technology comes into play 5 years after the American Holocaust. Promoted to Lieutenant-General and the Commander of Air Battle Force and its units, McLanahan and his crew face off against the new President of Russia and their own President. With his crew and himself facing a court-martial for disobeying presidential directives, they decide to destroy the revolutionary laser Russia has developed. Successful in destroying the laser, McLanahan and his Tin Men return to "talk" to the President. With a recording of the President's order to have McLanahan assassinated, McLanahan threatens him with death and forces him to give his men and him full amnesty and an honourable discharge. McLanahan keeps his Tin Men and CID units and retires from the USAF. But McLanahan's exploits did not end there. He soon joined forces with former President Martindale (along with Jon Masters and some of his old comrades) to operate their PMC, Scion Aviation International. Scion's first contract placed McLanahan and his assets in Iraq, as President Gardner began fully withdrawing troops from the country. It was a routine contract to oversee the security of Iraq with the withdrawal of US troops, until Turkey decided to attack Iraq in order to strike at the Kurdish separatist insurgents that had waged attacks against the Turks. McLanahan and his allies managed to kept the Turks at bay, until the Turkish Air Force decided to attack the US-Iraqi base, and almost killing the visiting US Vice President Ken Phoenix (who developed some respect for McLanahan). McLanahan decided to strike back, and elisted the help of USAF Colonel Gia "Boxer" Cazzotto and her remaining EB-1C Vampire bombers to do so. Later that night, her bombers managed to destroy the Turkish airbase at Diyarbakir, preventing the Turkish Air Force from launching a mass air offensive before President Gardner could set-up a no-fly zone over northern Iraq. Angered by the unauthorized air strike on Diyarbakir, Gardner wanted to punish McLanahan and all those involved, until he was confronted by Martindale, who advised the President to take credit for the attack and not pursue McLanahan. McLanahan, now with a love interest in Gia, continued to live in retirement, when a new crisis reared itself as America unveiled its new space weapon, the Thor's Hammer. McLanahan was asked to vouch for US space defense by Undersecretary of the Air Force Ann Page, but found himself becoming involved in this new crisis as he suspected an accidental explosion on one of the Kingfisher satellites to be an deliberate attack by the Chinese using an ASAT missile. Together with General Raydon Kai who currently commanded the Armstrong Space Station, McLanahan managed to unconver a conspiracy by the Chinese and Russians to weaken American space and seaborne assets. The information was given to Vice President Phoenix, who personally confronted Russian Presiden Truznyev with a stern warning of retaliation from a "powerful nongovernment group" for the capture of American personnel (among whom Gia) over the course of the crisis. The threat was carried out by McLanahan's secret assets (the "powerful nongovernment group" Vice President Phoenix spoke of), which devastated the Russian bases in the Gulf of Aden. McLanahan later witnessed the inauguration of President Phoenix from his home in Nevada, when the CIA warned him that he and his family had been targeted by Russian FSB agents who managed to secretly arrive in the US. McLanahan then moved to Washington DC, where he would remain in hiding from the Russian agents. See also *Fictional aircraft in Dale Brown novels *Weaponry in Dale Brown novels McLanahan, Patrick